Doris Gorgas named Bay Village's 'Citizen of the Year,' Village Bicycle Cooperative also honored

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio -- Doris Gorgas has been named Bay's "Citizen of the Year" in recognition of more than 40 years of volunteering.

The Bay Village Community Council also chose the Village Bicycle Cooperative, headed by Jennifer Smillie, as the city's "Project of the Year." The council is the coordinating body for civic organizations and seeks nominations from the public for the annual awards.

Gorgas, a retired operating room nurse at University Hospitals, has volunteered with Bay organizations ranging from the Girl Scouts and band boosters to the historical society and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She also volunteers with the Western Reserve Historical Society and at University Hospitals teaching CPR.

“Her community involvement has been evident for the past 40 years,” a nominator wrote. “Doris distributes thank-you notes to veterans during the Memorial Day parade. She works to erect American flags on homes throughout town. She helped raise money for the cemetery fence. As a member of the garden club, she volunteers for fall and spring community cleanups. Doris is an example for all of us to follow; she is a citizen of every year.”

Gorgas and her husband of 52 years, Tom, have lived in Bay Village for 42 years. They have two grown daughters, Diane and Carol, and two grandchildren. Gorgas said she started volunteering when her daughters were young through the Girl Scouts and her effort to give back just kept growing.

"I think it's important to make a contribution as a citizen of the community," she said. "You meet a lot of different people from a lot of different walks of life."

Gorgas said that when members of her DAR chapter said they were nominating her for the award, "I said, 'You're out of your mind.' " That's because she thinks of herself as "kind of a helper bee" and was "flabbergasted" when she won because of all the people in Bay who volunteer.

"Let's say it was a very pleasant surprise," she said.

Volunteers at the bicycle cooperative repair donated bikes and sell them back to the community or donate them to local charities. Last year, according to a news release from the community council, about 65 bikes were repaired and sold to help fund the project, while another 64 were donated -- including 31 that went to needy families at Christmas through the Salvation Army.

“By making Bay Village a bicycle-friendly community, the coop enhances the image of the community which helps attract young, active people to live here and encourages senior citizens to stay here,” a nominator wrote.

Smillie said in the news release that. “This would never have happened without all the awesome people who helped like Bob Piccirilli, Patrick McGannon, Carl Gonzalez and Peggy Ludwig. It really is a cooperative. A lot of other organizations have helped us like the Bay Skate and Bike Park and the Green Team. I can’t thank them all enough.”